The invention relates to flocked hair curling rollers of the type which may be heated by the insertion of a cylindrical heating element within an interior cylindrical bore contained within the roller.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,888,266 to Weldon and 4,202,360 to Walter both disclose flocked hair curling rollers. The hair curler disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,266 has a flocked outer surface having a large number of upstanding short non-hydroscopic filaments or fibers capable of retaining moisture by capillary action. The hair curling roller disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,360 has a cylindrical member having a flocked outer surface and a hollow cylindrical core which is adapted to receive a heating element. A pair of end caps are joined directly to the outside surface of the flocked roller at the ends of the cylinder. An inner cylindrical surface of each of the end caps directly engages the outer surface of the flocked roller and in order to secure such engagement, protrusions on such inner surface extend into recesses on the roller. The protrusions alternatively may be carried by either the end cap or the end of the flocked roller with the recesses being on the other member.
The flocked hair curling roller disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,360 does not contain a space between the outside surface of the flocked roller and the inside surface of the end caps at the point of engagement of the end caps with the flocked roller. Because of the periodic heating and cooling of the roller during its use and storage, the end caps are subjected to periodic expansion and contraction which may cause structural fatigue of the end caps thereby potentially damaging them.
Moreover, the direct engagement of the inner surface of the end caps disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,360 with the outer flocked surface of the roller can cause the flocking to be rubbed off the edge of the roller in the area of overlap between the end caps and the roller.